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Best Foods for Beard Growth

The food on your plate could be helping your beard grow. Here's what to eat for stronger, healthier facial hair.

Related:  How Sugar & Dairy Impact Beard Growth

Protein & Amino Acids for Beard Hair Strength

Protein-rich foods like eggs, fish, lentils, and quinoa for beard growth support

The Right Protein Matters

For beard growth you need the right mix of amino acids - cysteine, methionine and lysine.
  • Animal proteins like organic eggs, wild-caught fish, and grass-fed chicken, usually have the right balance.
  • If those are off limits, a mix of tofu, quinoa, lentils, and whole grains could still do the job (it just takes a bit more variety).
Even with plenty of protein, your beard might need a better mix to grow well.
Tired man lying on bed with hand on face showing poor sleep and beard

How Stress and Poor Sleep waste Beard Protein

Protein only works if your body has the breathing room to use it.

When you’re run down or low on sleep, protein is used for patching up tissues, fuelling your immune system, and keeping your energy up.

Your beard gets the leftovers, if anything.

Good sleep and a calmer pace do more for beard growth than an extra scoop of protein powder.
Old-fashioned meal with collagen-rich stew, broth, and whole cuts of meat for beard health

Beard Growth Protein We’ve Lost from Traditional Diets

The way we eat now is very different from a few decades ago. 

Traditional meals included collagen, gelatin, trace minerals, and a broader mix of amino acids. 

These nutrients directly support healthy skin, strong follicles, and beard growth.

Modern food is faster, leaner, and easier to package, but leaves major nutritional gaps behind.

Iron and Beard Growth: More Than Just Spinach

You might already be eating plenty of steak, spinach and dark chocolate, all washed down with organic orange juice, but still feel run down with a sparse and patchy beard. 

Sometimes it’s not what you eat, it’s what your body doesn’t absorb.
Man holding iron supplement bottle and looking concerned, showing beard health issues

When Iron Doesn’t Do Its Job

Low stomach acid, gut issues, or even genetics can make it harder for your body to use iron properly. 

If your levels stay low even while eating iron-rich foods or taking supplements, see a haematologist or a functional medicine practitioner.

They can check for conditions like iron-refractory anaemia or underlying issues that block absorption.

Supplements won’t fix what your gut can’t process  -  and your beard knows it.
Plate with sardines, kidneys, and pilchards for iron and B12 to support beard growth

Old-School Iron Still Counts

Sardines, kippers, kidneys are rich in haem iron - these used to be staples in kitchens. 

They’re rich in other beard-friendly nutrients like B12 and healthy fats too. 

Cast iron pans also helped by leaching iron into acidic foods like tomato sauces or stews.  

Pilchards on toast or a spoonful of steak and kidney pudding might not be trending but they could give you the results you're looking for.
Tabletop with antacids, black tea, and cereal bowl showing common beard growth blockers

Daily Habits That Work Against Quality Beard Growth

Some daily habits make it harder for your body to absorb iron. 
  • Low stomach acid from antacids means less iron gets absorbed.
  • Same with drinking lots of black tea at mealtimes, cutting out red meat, or
  • Leaning too hard on fortified cereal.
  • Meal habits like snacking, rushed meals, or no proper dishes can slow beard growth.

Zinc Helps Beard Hair Stay Put

Illustration-style cross section showing zinc’s role in hair follicles and beard retention

How Zinc Helps keep your beard healthy

Zinc helps with tissue repair of your underbeard skin, supports the oil glands around hair follicles, and keeps new beard hairs firmly in place.

Low levels can lead to slow growth, thinner strands, or more hairs dropping out than normal - it's quite common to have low levels of zinc.
Late-night setup with beer bottles and takeaway meal showing zinc-depleting habits

When Zinc Runs Low

Zinc gets used more quickly when you're under pressure. 
  • Going to bed after midnight most nights, eating just once or twice a day, or training hard without rest days can all lower zinc.
  • Drinking alcohol more than three times a week - even a few bottles of beer - can lower how well you absorb zinc.
  • Same goes for high-refined meals, like fried chicken, chips, or ultra-processed ready meals like ramen.
Zinc-rich foods like cashews, chickpeas, and pumpkin seeds for beard growth

Where to Get More Zinc For Better Beard Growth

  • Oysters are one of the best sources, but you don’t need seafood to top up.
  • Pumpkin seeds, chickpeas, and cashews all contain zinc your body can use.
  • Some plant-based foods are harder to absorb than others.
  • Soaking chickpeas or mixing grains and pulses usually works better than repeating the same meals every day.

B Vitamins Keeps Beard Growth on Track

Man checking his phone for his B12 test result while beard appears dull and patchy

Which B Vitamins Help Beard Growth?

Biotin helps your body build keratin, the protein that gives beard hair its strength. Without it, hairs can grow in weak, thin, or break easily.

B12 supports blood flow to the hair roots. When levels drop, beard growth slows and the hair can feel wiry, dry, or uneven.

B12 levels can drop fast - and affect your beard, energy, focus, and more. A blood test helps to catch low B12 early.
Fortified plant foods and supplements showing how B12 is added to plant-based diets

What Makes B12 So Hard to Get

B12 only comes from bacteria. 
  • Animals get it by eating food that contains those bacteria or by fermenation in their gut.
  • Plant-based food like plant milks, cereals, nutritional yeast, and meat alternatives are 'fortified' with lab-made B12.
  • B12 supplements come from bacteria grown in industrial tanks.
You can get B12 from unwashed vegetables, but NOT from the carrot - you're getting it from the droppings left on the carrot.

Nutrients That Support Hormones

Testosterone influences how fast, how thick, and how even your beard looks.  

Your body needs the right nutrients to make and regulate hormones.  If those nutrients are missing, beard growth can slow down.
Fats Help Build Hormones

Fats Help Build Hormones

Your body needs certain fats to build hormones that affect how your beard grows.

A diet low in fat, or stuck on repeat with the same lean meals, can hold facial hair growth back.
Healthy fat-rich foods like avocado, trout, and olive oil for hormone support

Meals with beard-friendly fats

  • Mashed avocado, smoked trout and lemon on oatcakes
  • Lamb chops with sauted greens and roasted garlic
  • Tinned mackerel in olive oil, chopped spring onion and avocado on almond non-bread
  • Roasted beetroot and walnut salad, mustard vinaigrette and boiled egg slices
Man standing near a window with overcast light, suggesting vitamin D deficiency

Check Your Vitamin D Before Blaming Your Beard

Your skin makes vitamin D when sunlight hits it - but if you’re always indoors, covered up, or live somewhere with long grey winters, you’re likely running low.

That matters because vitamin D helps regulate testosterone, which beard growth depends on.

Then vs Now: Old-School Nutrition That Fed Better Beards

Today’s meals are quicker and leaner, but not always better for your body or  your beard. 

We've swapped slow-cooked cuts and nutrient-dense broths for lean mince, skinless fillets, and instant stock.
  • Infographic of foods ate back then: Skin-on roast chicken and drumsticks Grilled whole fish with bones and skin Liver and onions, steak and kidney Lamb shanks, oxtail stew, beef shin Chicken soup made from a carcass Homemade gravy from bone stock
  • Infographic of foods eaten nowadays:Boneless chicken breast Tinned tuna or flaked white fish Minced beef with packet gravy Chicken strips or lean stir-fry cuts Soup sachets and instant noodles Stock cubes and powdered bouillon
  • collage of foods eaten back in the days: Skin-on roast chicken and drumsticks, Grilled whole fish with bones and skin, oxtail stew, Liver and onions
  • collage of foods eaten now: Boneless chicken breast, lean stir-fry cuts, instant noodles, Minced beef with packet gravy
  • Infographic of foods ate back then: Skin-on roast chicken and drumsticks Grilled whole fish with bones and skin Liver and onions, steak and kidney Lamb shanks, oxtail stew, beef shin Chicken soup made from a carcass Homemade gravy from bone stock
  • collage of foods eaten back in the days: Skin-on roast chicken and drumsticks, Grilled whole fish with bones and skin, oxtail stew, Liver and onions
  • Infographic of foods eaten nowadays:Boneless chicken breast Tinned tuna or flaked white fish Minced beef with packet gravy Chicken strips or lean stir-fry cuts Soup sachets and instant noodles Stock cubes and powdered bouillon
  • collage of foods eaten now: Boneless chicken breast, lean stir-fry cuts, instant noodles, Minced beef with packet gravy

Snacks That Did More For Beard Growth

We didn’t always snack on empty carbs like crisps, rice cakes and 'sugar-free' cereal bars. 

Snacks used to be rich in protein, iron and fat — all the ingredients that feed your beard.
Traditional snacks like Salted Beef, pickled eggs, Stock Fish Sprats for beard nutrients

Old-school snacking

A cold slice of tongue or salt beef, a hard-boiled egg with salt, or a spoon of potted meat on crackers all delivered real nutrition.

Some men kept jars of pickled eggs or onions for a quick bite. Others drank bone broth in a mug - simple, salty, and full of collagen.

Dried sprats or strips of stockfish were common in homes where nothing went to waste. These snacks literally fed your face.

Traditional Beard Foods You Can Still Find

Some of the best foods for beard strength haven’t vanished - they just fell off the weekly shop. 

You’ll still find them in good butchers, fishmongers, and old-school London markets if you know what to look for.
Cooked whelks on a plate served with lemon and herbs, a traditional shellfish rich in protein and minerals for beard growth

Whelks

Shellfish with high-quality protein, B12, haem iron, zinc, and iodine.
Great for skin and follicle health, even if they’re mostly seen as seaside nostalgia.
Stewed eels in a serving dish, traditional oily fish packed with omega-3s and B vitamins for beard health

Eels (Stewed or Jellied)

Soft, oily fish rich in omega-3s, vitamin A, protein, B12, and collagen (if cooked on the bone).
It's still available from London's East End stalls and classic pie shops.
Slices of black pudding on a wooden board, a dense source of haem iron, zinc, and B vitamins that support beard growth

Black Pudding

A strong source of haem iron, zinc, and B vitamins - especially B12.
One of the few foods where iron and protein show up together in serious amounts.
Cooked lamb’s liver with onions and herbs, a rich source of iron, B12, and vitamin A essential for healthy beard follicles

Lamb’s Liver

Lamb's liver is one of the richest sources of bioavailable iron, B12, and pre-formed vitamin A.
Old-fashioned, yes - but unmatched in density.
Traditional Jamaican ackee and saltfish breakfast with callaloo, tomatoes, and herbs — a protein-rich meal supporting beard growth and scalp health

Salt Cod

Packed with protein and biotin, especially when cured the old way.

You’ll still find it in Caribbean and Portuguese shops - it's usually cooked with onions, peppers, and tomatoes.

Try a Smarter Beard Diet

A good beard starts in the kitchen, not the bathroom. There is no need for 'superfoods', just eat better basics.

Mix up your proteins, bring back forgotten cuts, and take cues from how your great- grandparents cooked.

Have You Tried Switching Up Your Meals For Better Beard Growth?
If you’ve brought back any of these foods - or tried something totally different, share it below. 

One solid change could be all it takes to shift your beard into gear.
You must not rely on the information on our website as an alternative to medical advice from your doctor or other professional healthcare provider
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